Beaten By Love

Chapter 2

As I entered the main doors into the canteen, I anxiously looked around, trying to find a particular face amongst the hundreds of students flooding in, but to no prevail. Before I could even think about going and sitting on a quiet table, I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind and squeeze. Hard.

"Shay! I've been looking for you everywhere! Why are you in here? We never eat in the canteen with these...peasants. Come, my friend. I'll guide you into the light!"

And with that, the red headed mess took my hand and started skipping out of the canteen, barging past students despite the dirty looks they gave her. I wheezed from the tight hug my best friend just unleashed on me, to which she looked back at me and smirked.

And by mess, I mean mess. Taylor is simply one of a kind. A cliché line, but ultimately true in this case. Her bright red hair with a hint of ginger sticks in all different directions, almost like a pixie cut but...not done very well. She has a nose piercing, an eyebrow piercing, numerous piercings on both ears, a lip piercing...I think that's all of them. Oh and her belly button is pierced too, nor is it discreet.

Her taste in fashion...well you could definitely say it's out of this world. Literally. I don't think anyone else I know would be caught dead in some of the things she owns and wears, but then again, Taylor miraculously manages to pull it off. Don't ask how, I'm still trying to figure that out even after the length of time we've been best friends.

"Right my little nugget, sit on that side of the bench because I'm sitting on this side. That way, I've got a great view of the football pitch where a particular couple of hotties are now working out" She wriggled her eyebrows at me. I think she was trying to be sexy and suggestive...all I saw was a girl having face spasms.

"Seriously Tay? All you ever think about is boys, boys and more freaking boys! Why don't you try focusing on your studies for once, so you can get into uni and meet some worthwhile guys?"

She laughed. "Shay you have got another thing coming if you think there's gonna be even a smidge of a difference between the guys attending this school and the guys attending university. Think about it – if we don't like the guys at our school, what makes you think you're gonna like the guys coming from a different school in a different part of the country? If you ask me, you're better off sticking to your roots, right here in the 'HomeTown'"

She did have a point. As Taylor continued to babble on about the type of guy she's going to marry and what he'll be like, I took note of the people around us. Over to the right was the football pitch, and on the left was a couple old huts which had been converted into rooms for rowing machines and some other gym equipment which didn't fit in the actual gym. If you ask me, they should've just built a bigger gym.

On the other side of our bench to the field and huts were more benches, all stemming from the entrance into the canteen. And that was when I saw him, sitting alone, on a bench situated further afield from the rest of the cluster, sheltered by the side of the canteen building. His eyes were closed and his back and head rested against the wall. I was so used to seeing him so angry and annoyed at everyone around him, I was startled to see his face completely neutral. He looked so at peace. Then his eyes snapped open, and landed straight on me.

I looked away quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed I was staring. Who am I kidding? Of course he noticed. Taylor then realised I hadn't been listening, for once, and snapped her fingers in front of my face, forcing my attention back on her rather than feeling conscious of what I was doing and if he was still watching me.

"Hey – you alright? You're not usually this quiet. Something happen at home again? Look, you know you're always welcome round mine, and I know you don't like leaving Oscar, but he isn't all your responsibility"

"But he is my responsibility. There's no one else to look after him, my dad certainly proved that he's incapable. And nothing happened at home anyway. It was more on the way home that something happened..."

"Wait, what do you mean? Did someone hurt you? Shay why didn't you tell me, this morning before class?"

Taylor had driven and picked me up on the way to school. I hadn't mentioned it because I was barely awake, I couldn't get to sleep from thoughts of men intending harm and a man who didn't. I heard Taylor's voice go into protective mother mode – this happened often after my own mum died a few years back.

"I'm fine. I was walking home from work. I was on lock up so it was late by the time I was on my way. I ran into some guys, they wouldn't let me pass and then they pulled me to the side and started attacking me. But I'm okay!' Taylor's face drained of colour. "Honestly, I'm fine. Um...someone stepped in and managed to fight them all off. And then he gave me a ride home so I didn't carry on walking alone"

"Oh my god! Shay why are you just now telling me this? Did you report it to the police? And who was this guy? How on earth did he fight so many off on his own?"

I hadn't even thought about reporting to the police. What was to report? I was unharmed and got home safely.

"No, I haven't reported it. Do you think I should? Most of the men were left unconscious, so I don't know how well a report would go. What if they press charges against him for beating them up so badly? They'd have leverage wouldn't they? And I don't want Jace to have to go through that, after what he di-''

"Hold up – Jace was the one who saved you? Jace Hartlem?"

I nodded. "And then he drove me home, to make sure I was safe"

Taylor just gawked at me. And continued to gawk. Until I finally pushed her chin up to close her mouth, she'd end up catching some flies in a minute.

"Jace, of all people'. She sounded bewildered. "I haven't seen him so much as look at another person without scowling, in all the time I've known him. What the hell gave him the incentive to rescue you and go through all that effort? From what I've seen and heard, I automatically would assume he wouldn't care either way."

"I know as much as you do. One minute they were all there, next he was there and had fought them all off. I mean – how could anyone just keep walking past something like that?"

"Well I always thought if anyone could, he could"

I looked back over to where Jace was sat, but he was gone. It puzzled me just as much as Taylor about why Jace had stepped in like that. Six against one - they could've killed him. And then he drove me home. I could not fathom why, apart from humanity, he went to such efforts to help.

The first bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break and the journey to our next classes for the afternoon. Both Taylor and I shared art and music, but where I did history, she did maths. And they were what we both had now. Bidding farewell, we headed off in opposite directions, joining in the flow of other students heading to their classes too.

***

History passed by with ease, bringing with it the end of the school day. Taylor would often drive me home but I was working the late shift again this evening so instead I'd be walking straight to the store on my own. Just as I was heading out of the building and passed the car park, I spotted Jace again, walking towards his unmistakeable black Jeep. I briefly ran to catch up with him. As I approached, he turned at the sound of my footsteps.

He didn't look at all pleased to see me.

"Hi...um...I just wanted to thank you, again, for last night..." I trailed off, his glare silencing me.

"Right. You done?"

What? I was showing appreciation and he acted like I was having a go at him.

"Um okay. I was just thanking you. What's your problem?"

"Thanks to you and your little pals last night, I missed out on a big deal. Two thousand to be exact. Now, if you don't mind, I need to make sure I get in on the next one, unless you wish to keep standing there and make me miss this one too?"

"Oh...sorry. I'll leave you be then..." And with that, I carried on down the path through the school gates and made my way towards work.